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Pied Avocet...

Scientific name : Recurvirostra avosetta

Family : Recurvirostridae

L de 42 à 46 cm, E de 65 à 78 cm

This large wader is easily recognizable with its black beak end curved upwards, white plumage dotted with black spots, the blue-gray legs. The Avocet has not usurped the epithet of elegant. It affectionnne wetlands, shallow waters, and places bare salt marshes, lagoons, marshes, mudflats, but also large sheltered bays particularly in winter. The Camargue has settlements favorable to it.It nests often near water, so that the keys are sometimes at risk from flooding. Nesting occurs from April and has a litter a year. Incubation of eggs lasts 24 to 26 days.The species is migratory in the north and east, and most spend the winter in the Mediterranean countries, Africa and South Asia. More than 2,500 pairs breed in France and about 15,000 wintering mainly between the Morbihan and Charente-Maritime. The Camargue wintering Avocets born in Spain and North Africa.It feeds on small invertebrates, thanks to research that suited its beak slightly open, agitated by a lateral movement in the water. This is the only species of Avocet living in Europe. The avocet has a direct flight and fast beats its wings rapidly, theft legs beyond the tail, the neck is slightly extended.